Three Words
by thestrals-on-parade
Summary: What happens when Ginny tells Harry that she loves him, but because of all he's been through, Harry has trouble saying it back? A H/G centric story that also shows a little Hr/R and friendships between Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry. One-shot


**Author's note: Thanks to all of you who read my first two stories. If you did, you know that they were both very Hermione/Ron centered and this is my first real Harry/Ginny fan fiction story. Any and all comments, positive or negative, are welcome and, as a hopeful author, extremely helpful. I hope you enjoy it, and of course the phenomenal JK Rowling owns Harry Potter as well as the Harry Potter Universe.**

Three Words

"I need your help." Ginny said suddenly.

Hermione looked up from her book as Ginny rushed over to the table that she was occupying in the library. "I'll help you if you keep your voice down." She whispered, "I don't fancy Madam Pince coming over here and kicking us out. I need to study, and I have an essay due in Transfiguration and still need to check all of the information I've included."

"You need to study about as much as Ron needs to eat more." Ginny said.

Hermione smiled and laughed softly, earning a scowl from Ginny.

"I'm being serious! I need your help." Ginny said, ignoring Hermione's earlier request of being quiet.

"Shhhh!" Came Madam Pince's voice, her head ducking around a row of books.

Hermione cast her eyes down on her book until the librarian had left. She looked up just in time to see Ginny making a face in the direction of where Madam Pince had been.

"Oh, that old vulture can _shhh_ herself." Ginny said, though she was whispering now.

"What exactly did you need help with, again?" Hermione asked, going back to her book.

"Oh, right." Ginny said, getting a concerned look on her face, "Well, over the weekend, in Hogsmeade, I was with Harry and—"

"Do I actually want to know where this is going?" Hermione asked, alarmed by the sound of it. She couldn't help but think of what she and Ron had been doing, and felt a warm flush start to creep up her neck.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Trust me, I wouldn't tell you anything that I wouldn't want to know about you and my brother."

Hermione was relieved, although she was still confused. They'd been in Hogsmeade on Saturday and it was now Friday.

"Anyway," Ginny said, with a fierce look that meant they should get back to the subject, "The thing is, we were in the Three Broomsticks and we were just talking about things and…I told him that I love him." Ginny looked down as if she were uncertain of how Hermione would take it.

"Ginny that's wonderful." Hermione said, unsure of why Ginny seemed so unhappy about it all.

"It would have been," Ginny said, "But he didn't say it back. I mean, he kissed me and he seemed really happy, but he didn't say _it_."

Hermione frowned and gave her a comforting look, "Ginny, I'm sorry. I'm sure that he _does_ love you, though."

Ginny sighed before saying, "And then today, he sent this."

Ginny produced a letter from her pocket and handed it to Hermione across the table. Hermione took it, unsure if she wanted to know what lay written inside.

_Ginny,_

_Saturday was fantastic. I've missed seeing you so much. It's almost unfair, isn't it? Finally get a summer to actually be together and then have to be separated for a year. Anyway, I was thinking that maybe, if I talk to McGonagall, I can convince her to let me come and watch your first Quidditch match tomorrow. You seemed really proud of the team you put together and I'd love to see you guys play. It's against Slytherin too, isn't it? So that'll make it even better. Write back when you can, I know that the teachers are piling on the homework to help you prepare for N.E.W.T.s._

_Hope I can see you soon, Harry_

"Well," Hermione said, her eyebrows drawing together in concern, "He didn't seem upset or anything, in fact he seemed completely—"

"Did you read the end?" Ginny asked.

"What, where he says that he hopes he'll see you soon?" Hermione asked, still confused, "That seemed perfectly—"

"Hermione, you're being really daft right now." Ginny said with a sigh, looking down. "Look, I wasn't necessarily expecting him to say that he loved me right after I told him, I know that it's Harry and he has issues with…feelings. But honestly, I thought he'd at least be able to put it in writing."

Hermione reached across the table and put her hand on Ginny's. "Ginny?" She said softly, "I understand that it's frustrating, but you've already pointed out what the problem is. It's _Harry_, he has trouble expressing his emotions, we all know that. I mean, think about it, when do you think the first time he remembers someone telling him that they love him was? I'm willing to bet that it wasn't until your mum or someone like that said it, and that was even a few years after he entered the wizarding world. It was probably only around five years ago or something. Ginny I know he loves you, but I also know that it's extremely difficult for him to put that into words."

Ginny frowned, "If he loves me then he should be able to just say it."

"Be patient with him," Hermione advised, "He'll come around, he'll say it eventually."

"But when is that?" Ginny asked, "Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? I put my heart on a plate for him to take, and he just left it there."

"I'm not so sure about that," Hermione said, "Honestly, I think that he took it a long time ago, he's just not so sure of how to give you his."

"Well he needs to figure it out." Ginny said determinedly, taking her hand away from Hermione's and standing up.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked.

Ginny ignored her as she started to walk away.

"Don't do anything you'll regret." Hermione pleaded.

Ginny went up to the Owlery with a small letter she'd written to Harry in her hand. She called an owl down to her and secured the letter.

"Take it to Harry Potter and peck him senseless until he sends back a response." She ordered it.

* * *

><p>Harry was exhausted when he got back to the Burrow from Auror training. He gladly fell into his camp bed up in Ron's room and began to doze off. Mrs. Weasley had offered him some of the other, unoccupied rooms in the house, but it hadn't felt right, especially when she offered Fred and George's old room. Both he and Ron had decided that, at least for the time being, it would be best to keep things how they were.<p>

Just as Harry began to fall asleep, though, a sharp rapping woke him up. He looked around, expecting to see Ron trying to work on something for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and was surprised when he instead found a large barn owl sat outside on the window sill, patiently waiting to be let in.

Harry smiled to himself; he knew that it was most likely a response from Ginny. He'd already heard back from Professor McGonagall that morning, when she wrote to him that not only he but the entire Weasley family would be welcome to watch the first Quidditch match of the year, Ginny's first as captain.

When he had let the bird in and gotten the letter from it, though, the owl started pecking at his hands.

"Hey!" He said, turning his back on the bird as he opened the letter. He had to dodge the thing the whole time he read.

_Harry,_

_I don't know if it's such a good idea for you to come to the Quidditch match. Not until you can tell me what I and everyone else already know you feel about me. I told you, now it's your turn. It only takes three words. Don't write back until you have the nerve to say it, Potter._

_Love, Ginny_

Harry was, quite frankly, shocked. That had not been what he'd expected. He thought that it would be Ginny telling him how wonderful it would be for him to come and watch the match, or at the very least telling him that she missed him.

"Hey." Ron's voice brought Harry back to reality.

He looked up and saw Ron taking off his magenta work robes that George forced him to wear. "Hey."

Ron paused in his movements, scrutinizing Harry's expression. "What's wrong?"

Harry didn't respond at first. Instead he thought about what Ginny had written. And then, he had an idea.

"Nothing." He told Ron, smiling a bit to himself, "But how would you feel about heading out for Hogwarts a little early tomorrow?"

* * *

><p>Ginny was in a foul mood the next morning. Harry hadn't even responded with some excuse of why he couldn't tell her that he loved her. Instead, she was left with nothing. Nothing, that is, but a head full of questions.<p>

As she got dressed, she was surprised to see that Hermione wasn't in their dormitory. Ginny was even more surprised when there was no trace of her in the Great Hall for breakfast. Since she was already finishing her meal by the time that most of her team arrived at breakfast, Ginny headed down to the locker room by herself. She figured that it couldn't hurt to look over the notes she had taken about Slytherin's team, especially their weaknesses.

But as she entered the locker room she knew that she wouldn't be looking at any notes that morning. All it took was the sight of black hair, sticking up uncontrollably in every direction, to know that. Now at least Hermione's disappearance made sense; if Harry was there, surely Ron was too.

When Harry heard someone come in he stood and turned to see who it was. He wasn't surprised to find Ginny standing in front of him, looking like a mix of shock, anger, and happiness. It was a surprise, however, that he wasn't speaking. He had had it all planed out, after all. He would wait in the locker room for Ginny, since she would definitely be the first one to arrive in the morning. When she came in he would stand up and tell her that he loved her, then he would snog her senseless, Gryffindor would go on to win the match, and everything would be great. But as he stood there, his mind didn't work anymore.

"Hi." He said quickly.

_Hi._ He hadn't responded to her last letter, had shown up here unannounced before an extremely important match, and he still couldn't say it; instead he said _hi_. Ginny couldn't believe it. She started to turn around and leave.

"Wait!" He said. He couldn't let her leave now. She would never forgive him for that.

"What do you want, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Did he not understand that this hurt? If he had gone through the trouble to get there that morning, how could he still not tell her that he loved her?

"I just…" This was not what he had planned. "I'm sorry, Ginny." He started to pace back and forth, angry at himself. "I'm sorry that you being with me has never been normal, you would think that now it could be but…I guess it won't ever be normal. I just…I can't remember anyone telling me that they love me before Hermione had signed a letter 'love from' when we were thirteen or something. You deserve better than this, you deserve someone who can say it and who can—"

He hadn't noticed that Ginny had crossed the room toward him until she started to kiss him. When she did, though, everything in his mind made sense again. Maybe that's why it finally happened after that.

"I love you." He whispered as she pulled back.

"You do?" Ginny asked. She had known that he did, but to hear him finally say it was almost unbelievable. She'd wanted to hear that since she was eleven.

"Yeah," He said, a grin splitting his face. "I love you."

He couldn't believe how good it felt to say that, to get it out there.

"I love you too." Ginny said, hugging him tightly and laying her head on his chest.

It was no surprise to anyone that Gryffindor won that day.


End file.
